Create a Branch

Change the version in the POMs if you want to change it in the branch (you will be prompted for the versions to use)

Transform the SCM information in the POM to include the final destination of the tag

Commit the modified POMs

Tag the code in the SCM as a new branch with a version name (this will be prompted for)

Bump the version in the POMs if you want to change it to a new value y-SNAPSHOT (these values will also be prompted for)

Commit the modified POMs

To create a branch execute this command:

mvn release:branch -DbranchName=my-branch

By default, the POM in the new branch keeps the same version as the local working copy, and the local POM is incremented to the next revision. If you want to update versions in the new branch and not in the working copy, run:

Specify versions on the command line

You may want to specify the versions to use on the command line. This can be useful for example if you are running the release in non-interactive mode. The branch goal can use the same properties used by the prepare goal for specifying the versions to be used.